ESU puts two on all-region first team

Saturday

Dec 1, 2012 at 12:01 AM

EAST STROUDSBURG — East Stroudsburg University redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Bryan Thomson and junior kicker Taylor Groff have been named to the Daktronics Division II All-Region first team in Super Region One, it was announced.

GREG KNOWLDEN

EAST STROUDSBURG — East Stroudsburg University redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Bryan Thomson and junior kicker Taylor Groff have been named to the Daktronics Division II All-Region first team in Super Region One, it was announced.

Thomson, the PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year, and Groff, also a PSAC East first team honoree, give ESU a first team selection on the Daktronics All-Region team for the eighth time in the last nine years.

Both players advance to the national ballot for All-America consideration from sports information directors across Division II.

ESU is one of five schools in the region, all from the PSAC, with multiple selections on the first team. Only three regional schools — ESU, Bloomsburg and California — have had multiple first-teamers in each of the last two seasons. The Warriors had center Dan Caffrey and linebacker Mike Bergey on the first team last year.

Thomson had 50 tackles, 9.0 tackles for a loss, 5.0 sacks, two fumble recoveries and six blocked kicks in his first season as a full-time starter to earn the PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year hardware.

He was one of nine first-year starters on the Warriors' defense and produced 22 tackles, 6.0 TFL, 5.0 sacks and three blocked kicks over the final four games of the season. He blocked three field goals and three extra points to tie the school record for single-season blocks set by Joe Menton in 1995, and is tied for the career record of eight held by Matt Delancey (1993-96).

He is one of four sophomores on the All-Region first team, along with Shippensburg wide receiver Trevor Harman, West Chester linebacker Ronell Williams and Seton Hill linebacker Tyler Zimmer. He was the first sophomore to be named PSAC East Defensive Player of the Year since 1998, when ESU linebacker Kevin Nagle was recognized.

Thomson is the Warriors' first defensive lineman to be named to the Daktronics first team since the team was introduced in 1993.

Groff leads all Division II kickers with 9.3 points per game (93 points in 10 games), going 15-for-23 on field goals and 48-for-48 on extra points. He also leads active DII kickers in career field goals made (1.4) and attempted (2.0) per game.

Groff tied his own school record with six field goals of 40+ yards, including three from 51+ yards. He is one of two kickers in DII with three 50-yard field goals this season and was 3-for-5 from over 50 yards, hitting 52 at Bloomsburg, 52 at Millersville and 51 at Clarion. He has four of the 17 field goals of 51+ yards in PSAC history and the only kicker with more than one from that distance.

He was 9-for-12 from under 40 yards and 6-for-11 from over 40 yards this season, improving to 26-for-32 from under 40 and 16-for-26 from 40+ yards in three years at ESU. He has 230 career points and holds the school record for field goal percentage (72.4, 42-for-58). He is 15-for-19 on game-tying or lead-changing field goals in his career, including 7-for-9 over 40 yards.

Groff had a run of nine straight field goals this season, including four from more than 44 yards. He was 4-for-4 with a 46-yarder against Kutztown, hit his 52-yarder at Bloomsburg and made kicks of 52 and 44 yards at Millersville during the stretch.

Groff and Thomson give ESU 19 first team All-Region selections since 1993, including Caffrey and Bergey last year. Freed, Nagle, quarterback Jimmy Terwilliger and wide receiver Evan Prall were all three-time members of the first team.

Shippensburg record-setting quarterback Zach Zulli was named the region's Offensive Player of the Year and California safety Rontez Miles was named Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season.